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Tech firms and child safety organizations will be granted authority to assess whether AI systems can produce child abuse images under new UK laws.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration coincided with revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the government will allow designated AI developers and child safety groups to inspect AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it happens," declared the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the danger in AI systems promptly."

Addressing Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation process. Previously, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

This law is designed to preventing that problem by enabling to halt the production of those materials at source.

Legal Framework

The amendments are being added by the authorities as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on possessing, producing or sharing AI models designed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Practical Impact

This week, the official toured the London base of Childline and listened to a simulated call to counsellors involving a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a adolescent seeking help after being blackmailed using a explicit AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

"When I learn about children experiencing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and rightful anger amongst parents," he said.

Concerning Statistics

A leading internet monitoring organization stated that instances of AI-generated abuse material – such as webpages that may include numerous files – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of the most severe content – the most serious form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly targeted, making up 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Depictions of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "constitute a vital step to ensure AI products are safe before they are launched," stated the head of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a few clicks, giving criminals the ability to create potentially endless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Content which further exploits victims' trauma, and renders children, particularly female children, less safe both online and offline."

Counseling Session Information

Childline also published information of support interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms discussed in the conversations comprise:

• Using AI to rate body size, body and looks
• Chatbots discouraging children from consulting safe guardians about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 support sessions where AI, conversational AI and related topics were mentioned, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.